The present invention is directed to a tandem chair assembly.
There are many uses, particularly commercial uses, for tandem chair assemblies where two or more chairs are mounted together side-by-side. Tandem chair assemblies are found in institutions of all kinds such as airports, hospitals, and waiting rooms of doctors, lawyers, dentists, and other professionals. One reason for the popularity of tandem chair assemblies is that on a per seat basis they are less expensive than individual chairs. Other reasons for their popularity compared to using a plurality of single chairs is they remain arranged in a given configuration, they tend to take up less floor space, and they can have fewer floor supports.
Many commercially available tandem chair assemblies suffer from disadvantages. Many of them are lacking in aesthetic appeal, having an overall clumsy or piecemeal appearance. Further, they tend to be uncomfortable, lacking padding and a contoured shape for comfort.
A further problem with many tandem chairs is the cost of shipping. They can be long, bulky, heavy structures, occupying a large amount of space in a carrier or transportation vehicle.
Another fault with tandem seating is that it can be difficult to clean under because of the multiplicity of floor supports required, i.e., it can be difficult to vacuum under seating having a large number of legs.
Many tandem seating arrangements lack flexibility: one structure is used for two seats, another structure for three seats, and yet another for four seats. This results in increased manufacturing costs and difficulties in maintaining inventory.
Also in many applications it would be desirable to provide the tandem chair assembly with an integral table for reading lamps, reading materials, and the like. Many available tandem chair assemblies do not have such a table available as an integral part of the structure.
Accordingly, there is a need for a tandem chair assembly that is aesthetic in appearance; that is inexpensive to manufacture; that is comfortable to sit in; that has minimal floor supports; that can be configured to be shipped in a knocked-down, assemble-in-the-field configuration; that is light weight; that is easily adaptable to accommodate two, three, or more seating units or single units when required as part of an overall design scheme; that has a removable cover; and that can optionally be provided with one or more tables.